Digital broadcasting has the characteristics of multiple channels, high quality, and multiple functions. In particular, digital broadcasting allows concurrent transmission of combined images, voice, and data irrespective of their contents and size because of the development of multiplexing capabilities, and also allows interactive services by using a return channel based on a modem. Accordingly, digital data broadcasting overcomes the limits of existing analog broadcasting and provides multimedia services with higher added values to viewers.
In general terrestrial and satellite digital broadcasting, a transmitter for forming a main broadcasting network is provided in a single frequency network (SFN), a shade region in which no service is available is generated in the SFN, and a gap filler for servicing the shade region is provided to eliminate the shade region of the main broadcasting network. For example, in a satellite digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) system, most regions are available for receiving signals from a satellite, and the gap filler is used to acquire a receiving region in the shade regions in which no direct signal receiving is allowed, such as regions given in a subway, a tunnel, and a building.
In detail, when it is not easy to directly receive satellite signals on the ground side, that is, within the tunnel, underground, and building, the gap filler receives the satellite signals through a satellite signal receive antenna and starts broadcasting.
Main broadcasting stations represent broadcasting stations that function as a main center of the broadcasting network system, and they plan, produce, and transmit broadcasting programs. In Korea, radio broadcasting stations include KBS, MBC, CBS, BBS, PBS, SBS, and Keukdong Broadcasting, and television broadcasting includes KBS, MBC, and SBS. The broadcasting stations located in Seoul are established to be their transmitters. Commercial broadcasting in the USA or Japan form the broadcasting networks through contracts, but Korean broadcasting systems have a single organization such as KBS or have the same capital system such as MBC and CBS, and hence the transmitters perform a strong role in the system and management in addition to broadcasting, substantially as headquarters.
Also, a repeater station is an auxiliary station with less power, and is also called a satellite station. Conventionally, a broadcasting station has a service region, that is, a designated broadcasting region, but since boundary regions have weak radio wave arrival and blanket areas, the satellite station is installed for the boundary regions. It is installed at mountaintops for receiving radio waves from the transmitters, and it receives the waves through high-sensitivity receivers, electrically amplifies them, and broadcasts them as radio waves of different frequencies.
However, when a main broadcasting network service provider is different from a repeater service provider, the repeater service provider generates the cost of installing and maintaining a broadcasting network in the shade region, and the repeater service provider charges for the usage of the repeating network. That is, the repeater service must be a charged service for the purpose of activating the repeating network, but no appropriate treatment for the charged service has been provided up to now.